Deepak Tijori: From Aashiqui to Get Set Go - An Actor's Journey

D eepak Tijori wears many hats—an actor, filmmaker, director, storyteller, and musician—and yet he strongly believes there is still “so much more within me that audiences haven’t yet seen”. The actor, who starred in films such as Aashiqui, Jo Jeet Wohi Sikandar, Khiladi and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa , feels his potential as an actor was never really explored. “In fact, that feeling is what made me consciously shift gears rather than continue waiting for circumstances to change,” he tells indianexpress.com in an exclusive interview. Now eagerly awaiting his next release, Gujarati film Get Set Go , the actor tells us over email about his career graph, what he would do differently if he were to start over again, how he fuels his creativity, his fashion mantra, and why he thinks Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar continues to resonate with the audience even today. Read the edited excerpts below: When I look back, I do so with immense gratitude. The 90s gave me an identity, unforgettable films, wonderful colleagues, and, above all, an audience whose love has stayed with me even today. That’s something I never take for granted. At the same time, I don’t believe an actor’s journey is defined only by his past. Every phase of life brings a new perspective, and I genuinely feel that this phase has arrived at the right time for me. As an actor, I feel there is still so much more within me that audiences haven’t yet seen. Over the years, I’ve grown, not just as a performer, but as a person, and I think that naturally reflects in the characters I can portray today. That’s one of the reasons I’ve consciously decided to focus seriously on acting again. It did. Every actor enters this profession with the hope of exploring the full spectrum of his craft. While I was extremely fortunate to be a part of some of the most loved films of the 90s, there always remained a feeling within me that there was much more I could offer as an actor than what was being written for me. I never looked down upon the roles I played—I remain immensely grateful for them because they made me who I am today—but I did feel that I hadn’t yet been fully explored as an actor. In fact, that feeling is what made me consciously shift gears rather than continue waiting for circumstances to change. I moved into television production and began producing shows such as Saturday Suspense, Thriller at Ten, X Zone and Dial 100 . Those years were immensely rewarding. The shows were highly successful for the channels, earned both appreciation and recognition, and established me as one of the country’s prominent creators in the thriller genre. But the entertainment landscape evolved once again. Television gradually moved towards the saas-bahu format, and I realised that wasn’t my creative instinct or my strength. Instead of trying to fit into a space that didn’t resonate with me, I chose to reinvent myself yet again. That led me towards storytelling and filmmaking, beginning with Oops! , where I found another creative avenue to express myself. Directing and filmmaking became an extension of my passion for cinema, allowing me to tell stories that I truly believed in. Looking back now, I realise that every time one door appeared to narrow, life quietly opened another. Rather than viewing those moments as setbacks, I chose to see them as opportunities to grow into a different role within the same industry. Perhaps that’s also why I stepped away for a while. It wasn’t a retreat from cinema. It was a period of evolution. There has always been a lot of speculation around that episode, but honestly, there was never any charade or awkwardness from my side. In fact, many years later, during the film’s 30th anniversary celebration, Mansoor Khan and Aamir Khan told me something I didn’t know at the time—that the film had actually come to a standstill and was, at one point, virtually considered shelved. Hearing that after three decades was quite a revelation. The irony is that I had originally auditioned for the very same role and wasn’t selected. So, as life would have it, fate brought it back to me in a way I could never have imagined. One evening, Bhatt saab (Mahesh Bhatt), who had just returned from a shooting schedule with Aamir, called me and asked me to meet Mansoor Khan the very next day. That’s when I was told they wanted me to step into the film. When I met Mansoor and the legendary Nasir Hussain Saab , I was naturally thrilled, it wasn’t every day that a newcomer got the opportunity to sit across from someone of his stature. But before discussing anything else, I asked them one question. I wanted to know whether Milind had been informed that he would no longer be a part of the film. For me, that was important. I didn’t want to accept the role if he hadn’t been told. They assured me that Milind had already been informed, and only then was I completely at peace with moving forward. As for meeting Milind afterwards, our paths never really crossed. I believe he had already moved on. He was one of India’s biggest supermodels, with an extraordinary career ahead of him and countless opportunities. I, on the other hand, was still trying to find my footing after four or five years of struggle, simply hoping to earn a place in this vast industry. I think the biggest compliment for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander is that every generation believes the film belongs to them. That’s a very rare achievement. People often say it’s a sports film, or a coming-of-age film, or a love story. I think it’s all of those, but above everything else, it’s a film about youth. And youth, thankfully, never goes out of fashion. Whether it was the ’90s or today’s Gen Z , every generation wants the same things, they want to be seen, they want to belong, they want to prove themselves, and somewhere along the way, they make mistakes, fall in love, rebel against authority, compete, fail, and eventually discover who they really are. Only the language changes; the emotions don’t. Today’s generation may express themselves through reels, memes and social media, while we expressed ourselves through bicycles, cassette players and college festivals. The technology has changed, but the heartbeat of youth hasn’t. What also makes the film endure is that it never tried to preach. It simply observed young people with honesty. It respected them instead of judging them. Audiences, whether they are sixteen or sixty, can always sense that honesty. And then, of course, there are moments that have become part of popular culture. The music, the friendships, the rivalry, the innocence, the triumph, people don’t just remember the film, they remember where they were when they first watched it. Very few films become memories before they become classics. I often smile when young people who weren’t even born when the film released come up to me and talk about it with the same excitement as someone who watched it in 1992. That’s when you realise good cinema doesn’t have an expiry date. It simply finds a new audience every generation. Maybe that’s the real victory of Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander . It didn’t just win the race on screen… it quietly kept winning hearts, one generation after another. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be in a hurry to wear the director’s hat. I’d much rather wear the actor’s hat again. But yes, if someone ever decided to revisit Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander , I wouldn’t want to play a younger version of myself. I’d want to play my age. In fact, I’d love to be the coach of Rajput College, while Aamir coaches Model School. Now that would be fun! Imagine the old rivalry never really ended; it simply grew older and wiser… or at least we’d like to believe so! The competition would now continue through the next generation, with the same passion, the same school pride, and the same fire, only this time from the sidelines. I think there would be something wonderfully entertaining about the two of us trying to guide our teams while quietly reliving our own unfinished battles. (Laughs.) I actually think that would add another emotional layer to the story. You’d have the young generation discovering themselves, while the older generation discovers that some rivalries never really disappear; they just become a little more sophisticated… and hopefully a little less reckless. And between you and me… if Aamir and I are standing on opposite sides of the finish line again, I have a feeling we’d both become more competitive than the boys we’re coaching!” (Laughs.) That’s an interesting question because hindsight is always a wonderful teacher. The honest answer is… yes, perhaps in one respect. I wouldn’t change the people I worked with, the films I was a part of, or the memories I created. Those experiences shaped me, gave me an identity and introduced me to an audience whose love I continue to cherish even today. What I probably would have changed is becoming the architect of my own journey a little earlier. Perhaps if I had trusted that instinct a little earlier, I may have explored a wider range of characters as an actor much sooner. In those days, actors largely waited for opportunities to come to them. Today, I realise that sometimes you have to create the opportunities you wish existed. That’s exactly what I eventually did by becoming a producer, a storyteller and a filmmaker. Those weren’t career detours—they were creative choices that allowed me to keep growing instead of standing still. There were several reasons why I said yes to Get Set Go , and they all came together quite naturally. First, I must appreciate the passion and conviction of the producers, Bhaumik Sampat and Jhinal Belani, who also happen to be the lead actors of the film. Right from our very first conversations, I could sense their enthusiasm and genuine belief in what they were trying to create: they genuinely wanted to attempt something contemporary and entertaining. That sincerity made a big difference to me. Another major reason was the creative team behind the film. The film introduces audiences to the fascinating world of cryptocurrency and digital finance, while packaging it within an engaging action-oriented narrative. That immediately caught my attention because it moves away from familiar relationship-driven storytelling and explores a genre that is still relatively untapped in Gujarati cinema. I’ve always believed cinema should entertain, but it should also surprise. It should transport audiences into worlds they haven’t experienced before. That’s one of the reasons films stay with us long after we leave the theatre. Gujarati audiences today are among the most progressive and globally connected communities. So I believe our cinema, too, has the opportunity to reflect that contemporary mindset by embracing newer stories, genres and ideas. Get Set Go dares to step into that space.